My Love Affair with Vietnamese Coffee

I heard some rumors about how delightful Vietnamese coffee is…so while I was in Vietnam I drank lots of coffee in order to report back about the quality. It was difficult to do, but a sacrifice I was willing to make.

And thus began my 9 day love affair with Vietnamese Coffee.

WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT IT

The coffee itself is really good, but it’s the whole coffee culture in Vietnam that makes it even better. Vietnamese coffee is impossible to miss out on because you’ll see people drinking it everywhere – inside cafes, outside on the streets, and not just in the morning, but all day long. They sit on little stools and chairs drinking coffee, playing cards, people watching, and gossiping with friends. I can definitely get behind this.

If you come to Hanoi you’ve got to try these two coffees:

CONDENSED MILK COFFEE

Most everyone knows the condensed milk variety (which is also popular in Thailand). It’s the perfect mixture of sweet and bitter.

EGG COFFEE

Northern Vietnam is also well known for their special “Egg Coffee”, which involves mixing an egg with condensed milk for an extra frothy and sweeter taste. Everyone who described it to me said it was like tiramisu or ice cream coffee, which was pretty accurate after I tried it. It’s like dessert, but you can drink it for breakfast (or whenever you feel like it).

I spent some time exploring the coffee shops in Hanoi and trying different places (all in the name of research, of course, not because I’m addicted or anything.)

If you find yourself in Hanoi you’ll definitely have to check these places out:

GIANG CAFE

This cafe is one of the most famous in Hanoi and said to be the original place of egg coffee. I first came here with a group from my hostel. You’ll find the cafe in the northern part of the Old Quarter and in traditional Hanoi style, you’ll have to squeeze through a narrow alley to get to the cafe in the back.

THE NOTE COFFEE

An adorable little shop next to the lake. It’s covered floor to ceiling with little love letters and encouraging notes and makes for great Instagram shots 😉

 

CAFE DINH

Also located along the lake, this is a great place for people watching!

 

I tried lots of other places as well – with coffee being so cheap and readily available I had to.

 

I adore the coffee culture in Vietnam and wish I could wrap up all the condensed milk and egg coffee and take them back to China with me (Chinese people just tell me to drink more tea but I’m not there yet).

I’ll be dreaming of lazy mornings drinking coffee on the streets until we meet again Vietnam.

Love, Rachel Meets Vietnamese Coffee ❤